Expelled Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ezra Chiloba has given his side of the story regarding the commission’s troubles.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in parliament on Thursday, Chiloba who has been accused of leaving commission Chair Wafula Chebukati out on the procurement of important voting materials rubbished the claims.
He said that the procurement of the Kenya Integrated Election Management (KIEM) kits which were to be used in the August 8 general elections were an inclusive job preceded by a series of meetings.
‘’Chiloba: Allegations by IEBC’s Chair that I single-handedly procured the purchase of the Kenya Integrated Management Systems (KIMS) kits is far from the truth. We discussed the issue in over 7 meetings #SemaNaCitizen,’’ he is quoted by the Citizen Digital.
He added that at no time did the secretariat which he led excluded the commission led by Chebukati.
‘’Chiloba: There is no time the Secretariat made a decision without involving the commissioners,’’ added Chiloba.
Chiloba claimed that some commissioners had a conflict of interest in the procurement preceding the polls, revealing that some had specific firms that they wanted to be considered.
‘’Chiloba: Some commissioners were pushing for some companies to win tenders. At times, the commissioners even met some vendors without involving me as the CEO,’’ he is quoted.
The latter was in October sacked from his position over allegations of gross misconduct ahead of the elections, an exercise that was approved by Chebukati.